1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicles having pneumatic tires.
Tire inflation pressure and tire temperature are important safety parameters for automobiles, trucks and other vehicles. Proper tire inflation pressure and temperature regulation are necessary to insure safe traction on slippery road conditions and to prevent excess wear on tires.
A modern pneumatic tire is typically a tubeless tire mounted to a wheel rim and has a valve stem extending from the wheel rim. Inflation of the tire is achieved by connecting a suitable air pump to the valve stem and supplying air and a sufficient pressure to open the valve and inflate the tire. Traditionally air pumps are found at gasoline service station and the like. With the trend toward self-service stations, motorists who wish to inflate their tires must do it themselves.
It is to be appreciated that on a cold rainy night that it is neither convenient nor comfortable to have to inflate one's tires. Accordingly, it would be desirable if tire inflation could be automated in a manner that is both safe and reliable.
The main purpose of the invention is to provide a reliable, economical and energy efficient means of providing air to the tires of vehicles and to improve the safety, handling and operation of the vehicle by means of regulating tire air pressure. The thrust of the invention encompasses the application of such a system to all vehicles and thus embraces its use for public, commercial, industrial and government installations. It is desirable to allow the system to be retro-fitted into existing vehicles, thus allowing existing components to be utilized and energy saving processing of these components minimized. The benefits attributed to this system are energy conservation due to reduced automobile usage for locating an air pump source, improved gas mileage due to proper tire inflation which is continuously monitored, reduced tire wear and improved safety of operation and handling, convenience of tire air pressure regulation in all-weather conditions, reduced probability of tire related accidents and reduced use of other vehicles responding to such accidents resulting in reduced energy consumption.